Eminent Persons Group – Report finally published

TORONTO AND LONDON, OCT. 29, 2011 — The Commonwealth Journalists Association is releasing the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group Report TODAY after the failure of leaders at the CHOGM in Perth to do so. (Below is a link to a PDF of the report.)

As members of the EPG bitterly, and correctly, criticize leaders refusal to release the pivotal document, the CJA feels it is in the public interest of people across the Commonwealth to see the contents of the document.

“The CJA is shocked that some leaders feel that suppressing this forward thinking document is the right thing to do,” said CJA officers Rita Payne and Chris Cobb in a joint statement. “It’s also ridiculous given that the Ottawa Citizen in Canada’s capital has already obtained the document and given it extensive publicity. The leaders who opposed this release are speaking volumes about their own commitments to Commonwealth values, most fundamentally commitments to democracy and to a free and independent news media.”

CJA International Vice-President Cobb and CJA UK Chairperson Payne urged readers of the CJA’s international and London websites to copy the link and pass the document on to as many people as possible.

“If the Commonwealth is to survive, secrecy is not an option,” they said.”By releasing the EPG report, we are also showing that it is not possible.”

We campaign for free, bold and honest journalism across the Commonwealth. Our members should feel engaged, supported and safe in pursuit of these aims, as they work to uphold the finest principles of the profession and their role in a free society.
Our aims and values are enshrined in The 12 Principles, a new code proposed for freedom of expression and the role of media in good governance across the Commonwealth. See this page for details.